# What currently necessary item will be the soonest to become obsolete? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 9, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817 "2013-08-09T17:08:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/101 "2013-08-12T18:51:44Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > And cash will go extinct the day electronic card use and payment is available to every street vendor in the world that has delicious street food or intricate craft to sell. As long as some drugs remain illegal, some varieties of prostitution remain illegal, and a market for stolen goods exist cash will exist. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/102 "2013-08-12T19:37:08Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > While physical keys may eventually cease to be the primary method of unlocking [whatever], prudence suggests the complete removal of mechanical access control would be unwise. Especially since proximity devices are not secure. At all. People with code scanners can spoof garage door opener signals with ease, and read the RFID chips on your credit cards just by walking past you! Relying on proximity sensors to lock your house would be a very unwise idea. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/103 "2013-08-12T20:02:59Z")
Cash is not going to go away any time soon. Credit cards and debit cards have fees to use them. Typically the vendor pays this, and for small businesses this can be a killer. That’s why so many small businesses operate on a cash-only basis. The only solution (from the small business’ perspective) would be for the customer to pay those fees. Of course, once you start doing that, hardly anyone would want to use a credit or debit card for anything, and youre back to cash. My vote is going to CD players in cars. Radios with aux inputs are already standard in all but the crappiest new cars, and the fancier units have Bluetooth or some other wireless system as well. Following close behind CD players will be landline phones. For home use, at least. I don’t see landline phones for business use going away any time soon. When I’m not at work, _I’m not at work, thank you very much,_ and whatever problem you have can wait until tomorrow morning. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/104 "2013-08-12T20:51:36Z")
I’d say that almost _none_ of the things listed in this thread are going to go away any time soon, for simple matters of practicality. -Cash/coinage; It’s going to be pretty difficult for the booth at the farmer’s market or the panhandler on your street corner to start taking credit cards. -Landline telephones; I can’t imagine any large business replacing its telephone system with a bunch of iPhones. -Wristwatches; Not unless someone invents a cell phone that you can wear on your wrist and look at instantly to tell the time. -Physical keys; Being able to enter or leave my house during a blackout is always a plus. -Neckties; They’ve been in style for a couple hundred years now, I don’t see that changing soon. -Fax machine; As long as there exist handwritten documents, there will exist a need to transmit them electronically. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/105 "2013-08-12T21:03:07Z")
Two things: -TSA airport checks-the info that the NSC has collected means that nay potential terrorist has already been detected (and removed) -the US Congress…not needed anymore! ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/106 "2013-08-12T21:21:43Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > As long as some drugs remain illegal, some varieties of prostitution remain illegal, and a market for stolen goods exist cash will exist. If we ever reach a point, globally, where the only use for cash is criminal activity, what will happen if all governments just say “no more cash for anyone, no more printing money, coins and paper money is now illegal”? Will criminals start printing their own money? Will we have an underground cash economy that is completely separate from any legal transactions? Edit: Not picking on \*\*ZPG Zealot \*\*(it was just a handy post to quote), or asking anyone in particular, just sort of wondering. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/107 "2013-08-12T21:41:35Z")
Physcial storage media outside of devices. Phones/cameras/iPods/tablets/whatever will have onboard/swappable storage for constant, reliable storage, but everthing else will be in the cloud. No more DVDs/CDs/Tape storage. Landlines. Nearly every employee at my company is issued a work phone. Why not get rid of all the landlines? Don’t get me started on fax machines. They’re already effectively dead except in a few niche industries and they’re on their way out. I don’t think paper will go away, but I do think we’re at the top of the paper curve. I see a long descent as people get more and more used to the advantages of electronic text. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/108 "2013-08-12T21:44:36Z")
OMG- Peak Paper!!! ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/109 "2013-08-12T22:04:49Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > Landlines. Nearly every employee at my company is issued a work phone. Why not get rid of all the landlines? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! On the scale of things all large corporations, academic institutions, and government agencies have to upgrade, I think getting rid of landlines and giving every single person a cellphone is low on the priorities. Not to mention landlines are needed for many faxes, right? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/110 "2013-08-12T23:52:08Z")
The newest iFax 3s will take care of your needs. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/111 "2013-08-13T00:00:03Z")
The analog telephone. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/112 "2013-08-13T01:17:38Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > If we ever reach a point, globally, where the only use for cash is criminal activity, what will happen if all governments just say “no more cash for anyone, no more printing money, coins and paper money is now illegal”? The flaw in logic here is failing to equate “government” with “criminal activity” (or, more precisely, “politicians” with “criminals”). Outlawing money would be tantamount to slitting their own throats. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/113 "2013-08-13T01:20:46Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > I think Kirk had to use something in a TOS ep (can’t recall right now) The grain bin on DS Station K-7. The one with the quadrotriticale. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/114 "2013-08-13T02:20:05Z")
_Wheat._ ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/115 "2013-08-13T02:47:35Z")
I don’t mean to nitpick but… > [@Smapti](#): > > -Cash/coinage; It’s going to be pretty difficult for the booth at the farmer’s market or the panhandler on your street corner to start taking credit cards. I don’t know if you’ve seen this but pretty much anyone with a smartphone can accept credit cards now: [Power your entire business | Square](https://squareup.com/?gclid=CNuLxuKy-bgCFYyd4AodKyIALQ) . Paypal has their own version too, I think. As for panhandlers, you’re a heck of a samaritan if you’re going to carry around change just to dole out. > [@](#): > > -Landline telephones; I can’t imagine any large business replacing its telephone system with a bunch of iPhones. I can’t either. I can imagine companies going VoIP with their phone services and though people will have phone receivers that look like old phones on their desks, those phones are entire wireless. The same goes for faxes. Future fax machines will look like fax machines, but it’s really just a scanner/email machine and doesn’t operate like old fax machines. Shoot. Here’s a weird slightly dystopian thought. Everything will be so tied to our phones that we just get identified by our phone numbers. Are cell phone numbers really the mark of the beast? ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/116 "2013-08-13T04:54:23Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > \ > > Shoot. Here’s a weird slightly dystopian thought. Everything will be so tied to our phones that we just get identified by our phone numbers. Are cell phone numbers really the mark of the beast? Oh, The Phone Company™ [can do better than that . . .](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUa3np4CKC4) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/117 "2013-08-13T06:47:11Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > _Wheat._ Quadrotriticale is _not_ “wheat”! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/118 "2013-08-13T06:55:02Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Future fax machines will look like fax machines, but it’s really just a scanner/email machine and doesn’t operate like old fax machines. We’ve got a few of these at work - they’re photocopiers that can also send/receive faxes and send .pdf copies of anything scanned via email. My thoughts: Wired keyboards and mice for desktop computers. Standalone wireless routers. Cable Television as we know it will begin to fizzle away just as soon as the premium companies like HBO get off their asses and begin offering their streaming services to anyone who wants to shell out a few bucks a month. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/119 "2013-08-13T07:17:42Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > -Landline telephones; I can’t imagine any large business replacing its telephone system with a bunch of iPhones. Ours has. Well, kind of. Multimillion dollar company, more than 500 employees in the UK, ripped out all landlines this spring. We use mobile phones and Microsoft’s IM programme, Lync. I don’t care to know how it works, so I guess there’s an argument that says we still have landlines, we just access them through mobiles rather than deskphones, but still, it’s a big change. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817/120 "2013-08-13T09:27:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Quadrotriticale is _not_ “wheat”! :rolleyes: It’s genetically engineered wheat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-currently-necessary-item-will-be-the-soonest-to-become-obsolete/665817.md?page=7)